Weekend traffic: Parts of I-35E, I-694 and Hwy. 100 closing for road work

After a soggy start, Minnesota Department of Transportation crews are hoping for dry conditions this weekend which will allow them to resume a bridge painting project on I-694 in the northern suburbs that has been on hold for a couple weeks.

If the weather holds up, they will shut down the eastbound lanes of I-694 from Brooklyn Center to New Brighton from Friday night to Monday morning.

Both directions of I-35E south of downtown St. Paul will be closed from Friday night to Monday morning for bridge work while I-94 in both directions is squeezed in the Midway near the Prior Avenue bridge project.

Once again, the southbound lanes of Hwy. 100 will be shut down, but only for 24 hours from 10 p.m. Friday night to Saturday night between I-394 and 70th Street. Since this closure extends south of the usual closing point at the Crosstown, motorists should use Hwy. 169 or I-35W to make their southbound trips.

Football is back on the University of Minnesota campus. Be alert for road closings and turn lane restrictions in the vicinity of TCF Bank Stadium before and after Saturday's 11 a.m. kickoff.

The Saints have a playoff game at 7 p.m. Saturday at CHS Field in downtown St. Paul while the Twins play Friday through Sunday at Target Field. No traffic will be allowed on West Broadway between Lyndale and Penn avenues Saturday as another installment of Minneapolis Open Streets is on tap. The Renaissance Festival continues in Shakopee so look for heavy traffic on Hwy. 169.

Keep your eyes open for bicyclists participating in the St. Paul Classic Bike Tour along the Saint Paul Grand Round parkway system on Sunday. Road closures in the direction cyclists are riding include Mississippi River Boulevard, Shepard Road, Warner Road, Johnson Parkway, Wheelock Parkway and Pelham Boulevard. Summit Avenue will be open to traffic but no parking rules will be enforced on the north side.

And the sweet sounds of Kirk Whalum and others will fill the air Saturday at the Selby Avenue Jazz Fest at Selby Avenue and Milton Street in St. Paul.

Here is a map where you'll find major road construction and possible delays, with details below:

1. I-494 in Plymouth: Traffic between Fish Lake Road in Maple Grove and Hwy. 55 in Plymouth has been shifted to the southbound side of the freeway and is reduced to two lanes each direction until Nov. 4. Ramp closures: Westbound 394 to southbound 494 and southbound 494 from Carlson Pkwy. Other ramps and three freeway lanes south of Hwy. 55 are open. East Fish Lake Rd in Maple Grove spanning I-494 closed until Monday.

4. I-35W in Mounds View: Lanes narrow in the vicinity of County Road H due to bridge construction.

5. I-694 in Shoreview: Westbound traffic has two lanes separated by a concrete barrier between I-35E and Lexington Avenue. Ramp from westbound 694 to Rice Street and Lexington Avenue now open.

6. I-35E in northeast metro: Intermittent lane closures between County roads 96 and J. Single lane from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays County 96 is closed from Manning Avenue to Dellwood Road.

7. Hwy. 8 in Franconia: The highway is closed between the south junction of Hwy. 95 in Franconia and downtown Taylors Falls.

8. I-94 from St. Paul to Maplewood: The left westbound lane between Mounds Blvd and Century Ave. is permanently closed. The left eastbound lane is closed most weekdays and Saturdays through mid-September. Travel should be easier now that a third lane is available.

9. White Bear Avenue in St. Paul: Road work between I-94 to Beech Street and closed to all traffic between Wilson Avenue and 3rd Street.

10. Hwy. 36 in Roseville: Westbound traffic has been shifted onto new permanent lanes. Eastbound is still using a bypass at Lexington Avenue. Ramps at Lexington remain closed.

11. I-35E in St. Paul: Both directions will be closed from 9 p.m. Friday through 5 a.m. Monday between I-94 and Shepard Road. The Randolph Avenue bridge over 35E closed until late September.

12. Hwy. 5 in St. Paul: Single lane in each direction between Shepard Road and the Hwy. 5/55 interchange near Fort Snelling.

Drivers can plan on more weekend closures in the spring as the $239 million I-35W downtown-to-Crosstown project continues until 2021. In a shred of good news, MnDOT will reopen ramp access from northbound I-35W to 5th Avenue on Monday.

Winter's arrival has not put the chill on road construction as drivers will encounter another weekend freeway closure in Minneapolis, and bridge work in Forest Lake is expected to bring traffic delays.